No Room Inn

Friday, 28 January 2011

Pub owners are missing out on thousands of pounds worth of business by failing to have an accommodation offering, according to tourism experts iknow-uk.

The UK's leading independent tourism and accommodation directory has found that there is a huge demand for pub accommodation, with not enough supply, and is urging pubs to open up rooms to ensure this business opportunity isn't missed.

iknow-uk has seen more than 1,500 searches on its regional websites for pub accommodation each month, but only 371 of the pubs on its sites advertise rooms to stay.

Marcus Simmons, managing director of iknow-uk, comments: "Pub owners are investing so much time in running their establishment, yet they are missing out on extra business revenue by not offering extras such as accommodation, which is in high demand especially from the lucrative family market.

"These figures show that there is a significant amount of business there for the taking. Even if you open up just one room, it could be worth thousands of pounds of extra income each year.

"Furthermore, this week it was announced that there has been a sharp fall in beer sales due to hikes in prices in beer tax, and so it can't hurt for pubs to diversify in an attempt to make-up their revenue elsewhere, whether it be extended opening hours, food or accommodation."

Founded by Marcus in 2003 with the iknow-yorkshire website, iknow-uk now operates 18 regional websites for accommodation and hospitality providers including restaurants, hotels, guest houses, holiday cottages and B&Bs.

Pub owners looking to list on one of iknow's regional websites, should visit www.iknow-uk.com.

Ends

Notes to Editors

About iknow-uk:

iknow-uk specialises in helping people plan and book the perfect UK holiday, by researching and offering the best local information to inspire the thousands of.people that visit the sites each month

Iknow-uk gives visitors a wide choice of ways to research and contact accommodation providers. They can book online or have the option to contact properties by phone, email or through their websites

April 2009 saw the launch of a comprehensive hospitality section to iknow-yorkshire. Hospitality is now also available on all the iknow-uk regional sites

Since its launch, iknow-uk has over 6,000 customers, including accommodation and hospitality providers, listing on its regional websites. The sites have received over 25 million visitors and created two million booking enquiries for customers listing on the regional sites, which equates to £290 million worth of bookings - making iknow a leading authority on online bookings across the UK

For further enquiries on listing on iknow-uk's websites, please contact Eve or Rachael at iknow-uk on 01772 521166